Opinion
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Crist Errs in Vetoing Insurance Bill
Opinion -TALLAHASSEE – Analysts at the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank, today said Gov. Charlie Crist’s veto of SB 2044 will add a big burden to the state’s taxpayers and consumers. -
Wireless Industry Makes Case Against Proposed Taxes, Regulation
Opinion -Nearly every state is facing record budget deficits, and legislators are increasingly looking to the technology sector--especially the wireless industry--for new sources of revenue. -
2010 June Health Care News (full text PDF)
Opinion -The June issue of Health Care News offers insights into several provisions of the recently passed federal health care overhaul, highlighting on page 1 the major changes America’s businesses are facing in their health insurance programs, both for -
2010 June InfoTech & Telecom News (full-text pdf)
Opinion -The June issue of InfoTech & Telecom News highlights FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s National Broadband Plan -- which he unveiled exactly one month after a federal court ruled the agency lacks the authority to regulate the Internet. -
2010 June School Reform News (full text pdf)
Opinion -The June issue of School Reform News reports on a recent Harvard University study that suggests cash incentives, if correctly employed, can spur improvement in students’ grades, test scores, literacy rates, and behavior. -
Consumer Power Report #223
Opinion -Where to begin this week? How about the overall political environment? It is beginning to look like the wheels are coming off this bus, to the point that even Democrat loyalists are getting nervous. -
Letter to the Editor: A Boon For Missouri
Opinion -Missouri would reap economy-wide benefits as well as tax revenue if the Illinois legislature successfully passes a $1 per-pack cigarette tax ("Madigan calls on Legislature to return for pension issue," May 21). -
Time to Reform Teacher Tenure in California
Opinion -“Last-hired, first-fired” is bad for schools, it’s bad for teachers, and it does a disservice to kids. -
Heartland Institute Mocks AMA’s Attack on Health Insurers
Opinion -CHICAGO (May 26, 2010) — The Heartland Institute today released its “Physician Code of Conduct Principles” listing some 40 things doctors “must do” in order to restore order and quality to the nation’s health care -
Letter to the Editor: Smokers Won’t Get Us Out of This Mess
Opinion -David Merriman, head of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Economics Department, found that 75 percent of the cigarettes smoked by Chicagoans are not bought in the city, depriving the city of an estimated $120 million in revenue per year (Sun-Times, -
Health Care Law’s Hidden Tax Provision: 1099s Could Quintuple in 2012
Opinion -An until-now unnoticed provision of the new health care overhaul law could change the way U.S. businesses—including freelance workers—prepare for tax day, causing an avalanche of additional recordkeeping and reporting. -
Florida Lawmakers Okay Privately Run State Prison
Opinion -Florida’s newest privately run state prison is scheduled to open later this November after lawmakers agreed to protect government worker’s jobs in the final days of the legislative session. -
Hawaiians Loudly—and Successfully—Object to Proposed Big Tax Hike
Opinion -A proposal that would have raised Hawaii’s General Excise Tax—the state’s distinctive form of sales tax—was stopped in the House Ways and Means Committee in May, due in large part to a loud uproar from taxpayers and business -
Senate Bill Would Limit Debit Card ‘Swipe Fees’
Opinion -An amendment to limit interchange fees—also called “swipe fees”—on debit card purchases has passed the U.S. Senate.The amendment to a proposed financial regulatory reform bill was introduced by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL). -
Arizonans Vote for Temporary Sales Tax Increase
Opinion -Arizonans went to the polls in a special statewide election on May 18 and overwhelmingly voted to increase their state’s sales tax. -
U.S. House Passes ‘Beach House Bailout’ Bill
Opinion -The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has passed Representative Ron Klein’s (D-FL) Homeowners’ Defense Act, H.R. 2555, which critics have dubbed a “beach house bailout” bill. -
Interview: Wall Street, Government Roles in ‘Crime of Our Time’
Opinion -Danny Schechter is an investigative reporter and filmmaker whose most recent documentary—Plunder: The Crime of Our Time (http://www.plunderthecrimeofourtime.com/)—characterizes Wall Street as a crime scene. -
GM’s Ads Claiming Early Payback of Bailout Money Spark Complaint to FTC
Opinion -The Competitive Enterprise Institute has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission arguing General Motors misleadingly claimed in a national TV ad the company has paid back taxpayer-provided bailout loans. -
Loan Standards, Property Protections Benefit Texas Real Estate
Opinion -Most states continue to face vast real estate problems, but Texas has a healthy real estate market thanks to restrictions on risky loans, efforts to overturn problematic federal appraisal standards, eminent domain limits, and tax relief, according to -
Economic Recovery Still Eluding State Coffers
Opinion -As the national economy slowly recovers, income-related state revenues continue to shrink.A report from the Nelson A. -
Christie Shakes up New Jersey; Aide Edwards Helps Shape Policies
Opinion -Perhaps no governor this year has done more to encourage supporters of fiscal responsibility and upset supporters of spending as usual than Republican Chris Christie of New Jersey.Standing with Christie is his director of policy, Gregg Edwards. -
E-Commerce Tax Explodes into Privacy Rights Battle
Opinion -Efforts by Colorado and North Carolina to tax Internet sales have sparked a firestorm of bipartisan criticism.Right-leaning groups calling the idea a tax-grab that violates the U.S. -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #9-11
Opinion -Alternative medicine advocate Gary Null alleges in a New York state lawsuit he almost died from consuming the powdered dietary supplement that bears his name: "Gary Null's Ultimate Power Meal. -
Let the Unions “Bail Out” Public Education
Opinion -Whether you look at the state of New Jersey or individual districts across the country, it’s easy to find a story where unionized and tenured teachers demand adherence to their rich contract clauses rather than forgoing raises and perks.
